Pints, Paws & Preservation

Fungi are the unsung heroes of our planet, playing key roles in sustainability, medicine, and aiding towards our goals of net-zero. But globally, there are large misconceptions surrounding them, leading people to fear fungus. In this Pint of Science talk, postgraduate researcher Hayleigh Pogmore will take you on a tour of the weird, wonderful, and world-shaping kingdom of fungi, showing why they deserve the same curiosity, research effort, and conservation attention as our most charismatic species.

This talk will explore the role of a modern zoo in the conservation of threatened species with particular focus on the more surprising elements. From contributions to genetic research and prototyping technology to figuring out how to get bears back-scratching for science, zoos have much to offer conservation efforts beyond breeding programmes and donating money. Several research projects conducted at Colchester Zoological Society in collaboration with field conservation organisations will be examined, highlighting how animals at the zoo are helping to save their counterparts in the wild.

From Brook Lamprey to Beavers, source to sea, rivers are one of our most diverse habitats but they have never been more threatened. Using real life examples of his work on Essex Rivers, Darren Tansley asks the questions what did rivers used to look like, what have we done to alter them and how can we make them more resilient in the face of the looming biodiversity and climate crises?

Dive in with ocean wildlife artist Olivier Leger! Through intricately detailed paintings, Oli shares how art can bring together science, conservation, and the stories of people, places and ecosystems - offering a space to explore our connection with our blue planet.